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Unread 09/22/2009, 02:37 PM   #16
dendronepthya
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Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Akron, OH, USA
Posts: 3,762
@fishnut321 - Yes, the temperatures are very stable. This summer after we installed the ceiling vents and an additional circulation fan, the tank temperatures were rock solid at 77 degrees F.

In the winter last year, our tanks were consistently 70-72 degrees F. This winter, I expect better performance because of the added insulation as well as another 1000-gallon system acting as a heat sink. My hope is to maintain the tanks at 73-74 degrees. So, year round, the temperatures only fluctuate about 3 degrees.

Before all of these updates, the most drastic temperature swings were like 69 degrees in the winter and 90 degrees in the summer.

As far as lighting goes, it's tough to say. There is no question that the greenhouse takes very little to operate given the volume of water it holds. To operate a system like this in a residential building with lights, etc. I imagine the annual cost would be somewhere in the neighborhood of $20,000 per year. This greenhouse doesn't take nearly that much. The problem though is that you have to deal with seasons where some corals are unhappy about too much light or lack of light.


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Current Tank Info: 5000-gallon greenhouse system
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